Latest news with #1980
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
WWICS chief's conviction upheld in Forest Act case
Mohali: A local court on Monday upheld the 2009 conviction of Col Baljit Singh Sandhu (retd), owner of WorldWide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS), in a case under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, but granted him probation instead of jail time. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The order was pronounced by additional sessions judge Prashant Verma. Under the probation terms, Sandhu will now serve his sentence under the supervision of a probation officer, allowing him to remain in the community rather than face incarceration. The decision effectively offers the convict a chance to rehabilitate under legal scrutiny, in accordance with provisions of criminal law. Advocate Amit Mandkan, counsel for Sandhu, said they plan to challenge the sentencing further. "We will file for revision of the sentence in a higher court," he said. The case pertains to a violation of Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, for which Sandhu was convicted by the chief judicial magistrate, Rupnagar, on Sept 17, 2009. The conviction was made under Section 3(A) of the Act, which deals with penalties for unauthorised use or diversion of forest land. Sandhu filed an application seeking compounding of the offence under Section 359(5), corresponding to Section 320 of the CrPC, 1973. He argued that the offence should be compoundable under Section 68 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, which permits certain forest-related offences to be settled out of court. However, the application was rejected by the Divisional Forest Officer, Mohali, and subsequently contested by the State. The prosecution maintained that the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 does not contain any provision to compound offences, and Section 68 of the 1927 Act applies only to specific offences listed under that statute. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court concurred with the State's argument but granted probation considering the long-pending nature of the case and other mitigating factors. The court's decision highlights the legal complexity in cases involving overlapping provisions of environmental laws and underscores the distinction between compoundable and non-compoundable offences under different forest legislations. While the probation order spares Sandhu from immediate jail time, the legal battle appears far from over as the defence prepares to pursue further relief through appellate forums.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram: Construction of NIT campus at Lengpui to resume after 6-year halt
Aizawl: Construction of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Mizoram campus at Lengpui near Aizawl will resume after a six-year halt, an official statement issued by the government on Friday said. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl ( The Mizoram government has deposited a penalty of ₹1.4 crore to the appropriate office of the union forest ministry, and construction will resume soon, the statement added. The permanent NIT campus project was stalled in 2017 after the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), citing unauthorised use of the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl, which includes an administrative block and four academic blocks at Chaltlang, three hostels at Tanhril, and one hostel at Durtlang. The institute offers BTech, MTech, and PhD degrees. In 2017, the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with a special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging encroachment on the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory forest clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Also Read: Mizoram: Leading the way in education The Mizoram government later submitted a proposal for forest clearance under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for the diversion of 63.44 hectares of land for the construction of the NIT campus in October 2021. The proposal was placed before the Forest Advisory Committee in a meeting on June 13, 2022, which deferred the proposal and sought additional details from the state government. Also Read:Mizoram declared fully literate state under ULLAS initiative 'The state government applied for forest diversion clearance in 2021. By 2023, the government had agreed to deposit ₹20 crore as part of the forest compensation. However, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) later revised the amount to ₹1.4 crore after the intervention of Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, which has now been deposited, clearing the way for construction to resume,' the official statement said. An amount of ₹669.75 crore was sanctioned for the establishment of the permanent NIT Mizoram campus. The Mizoram government is responsible for providing the land for the campus free of cost and free from encumbrances.
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Over 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land diverted from in 10 years; 63% for mining, irrigation and roads: Centre tells Lok Sabha
The Union environment ministry approved the diversion of 1,73,984.3 hectares of forest land for non-forestry purposes between 2014-15 and 2023-24, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The mining and quarrying sector, the hydropower energy and irrigation sector, and road projects accounted for about 63 per cent of diversion, with forest land of 40,096.17 hectares, 40,138.31 hectares, and 30,605.69 hectares diverted for the three purposes respectively. The Union minister was replying to a question from Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, who asked whether forest clearances for infrastructure and industrial projects had increased by over 150 per cent from 2014 to 2023, citing a Centre for Science and Environment report. The minister added in his reply that forest land was allowed for non-forestry use in unavoidable circumstances with 'adequate mitigation measures including raising of compensatory afforestation and payment of net present value'. As per the minister's reply, linear infrastructure projects such as power transmission lines accounted for diversion of 17,232.69 hectares of forest land. The ministry also approved 14,968.14 hectares of forest land for defence projects. Railway projects accounted for 7,998 hectares of forest land diversion, whereas 2,644 hectares were diverted for the thermal power sector. For the 'others' category, 9,669.85 hectares of forest land were diverted and 346.84 hectares for wind power. 'The process of approvals for diversion of forest land for various non-forestry purposes under Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvarshan) Adhiniyam, 1980 is a continuous process. During the period from 2014-15 to 2023-24, the forest area measuring 173984.3 ha. has been approved to be used for various non-forestry purposes, including infrastructure and industrial projects under the provisions of Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980,' the minister stated in his reply. Under the Van Adhiniyam 1980, project proponents have to obtain approval from the ministry's forest advisory committee before using or diverting forest land for non-forestry activities. An empowered committee of the ministry's regional offices scrutinises projects in categories such as linear projects consisting of pipelines, railways, roadways and power lines. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Youth Cong march to Jayachandran's house pure hooliganism: Greens
Kochi: Several environmental activists in state came out in support of M N Jayachandran, Idukki district secretary of Society for Protection of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA), who faced attacks and protests from Youth Congress workers for filing a case against large-scale tree cutting and illegal constructions under the guise of NH construction activity. The activists said that approaching the judiciary was a right of every citizen. "Jayachandran approached the high court not out of anyone's instigation or for personal gain. Govt clarified in a court affidavit that the construction site is a reserved forest. The HC intervened because the construction was proceeding without the necessary final approvals under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The court has asked the chief secretary to investigate and report on the unauthorized construction activities," they said in a statement. "The march by Youth Congress activists to Jayachandran's house, locking his wife and elderly mother inside, is not only illegal but, to put it mildly, pure hooliganism. Environmental protection is a constitutional civic duty. Questioning projects that violate environmental laws is not anti-people but a citizen's responsibility and a service to the nation and its people. Defamatory campaigns against someone filing a petition in the public interest to uphold the law are an affront to democracy and the rule of law," the statement said. "No one is against development. However, it requires legal approvals, environmental impact assessments, expert evaluations at various levels, public dialogue and completion of legal procedures. If responsible parties fail to do so, protecting the environment through the court and questioning illegal activities is a noble example of democracy," the activists said. "We believe that defamatory campaigns and personal attacks against Jayachandran following high court's verdict will be dismissed by the public. Those spreading rumours that Jayachandran is a proxy for forest department are either proxies themselves or their masters," they said. The signatories include Thomas Ambalavayal, Veena Marathur, T V Rajan, Adv TS Santhosh, Varghese Vattakattu, R Mohanan, K A Sulaiman, Sasheendra Babu, N Badusha, and Rashmi Stalin. MSID:: 122582307 413 |
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NGT notice to ministry, state govt over ‘illegal' construction on forest land
1 2 3 Cuttack: National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued notices to the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change, Odisha govt and several officials over alleged illegal construction on forest land in Jajpur district. The petition, filed by Kailash Chandra Nayak of Nuadihi village under Danagadi tehsil, sought intervention against construction being carried out by the state govt on forest land in Danagadi and Sukinda blocks without mandatory approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The petitioner, represented by advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy, claimed these constructions are being carried out without any forest clearance from the Centre. A representation was submitted to the authorities on March 30, but no action has been taken so far, the petition claimed. The bench, comprising Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member), noted the matter "requires consideration" and issued notices to the additional chief secretary (forest, environment and climate change), district collector of Jajpur, BDOs and tehsildars of Danagadi and Sukinda and the divisional forest officer (Cuttack). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing you should Ditch over 40 Learn More Undo All respondents have been directed to file their counter affidavits within four weeks. The case was listed for the next hearing on Aug 25. According to the petition, massive concrete structures are being built using funds from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) with the approval of Jajpur district collector, who is also the managing trustee of DMF. It was alleged that on Nov 21, 2023, the collector issued a letter to the Sukinda BDO for constructing activity rooms in 132 primary schools at a cost of Rs 13.20 crore. On Jan 24, 2024, he again approved Rs 13.10 crore for additional classrooms and Rs 14 crore for activity rooms in 140 schools under Danagadi block. The petition sought a halt on all non-forest activities being carried out on forest land without prior central approval and demanded that such constructions be declared illegal.
